The Story Of A
Sea-Going Ingrgte
In unguarded moments, I find
I am prone to tell tales of a day
grate by. And whenever I do,
some joker sayrf' I should write
’em not talk ’em.
But I don’t know. Who would
believe that stuff?
Who would believe, for in
stance, there once was a Sea-,
man’s Institute on Decatur
Street, there in New Orleans, a
place a beached young salt could
get a bed for 15c; a magnificent
place to loaf away the late, sul
try evenings nf New Orleans in
August? »
Who would believe it possible,
so late as the 30s, that a horse
and-wagon could drive up to a
seaman’s bethel, at three in the
morning, and who would believe
a huge, gold braided Chief En
gineer could put down the reins,
crawl off, drunk as a lord, in
search of a Black Gang for his
engine room?
It happened, and I was all the
crew he could get.
Scotty was 6’6”, about 40,
then, and some 250 pounds of
knuckles. That, of course, was
why he was driving the wagon.
Vieux Carre cab drivers knew
Scotty, sober, and they knew
him, drunk. So, as there was nev
er any question of their refusing
him a ride up from the piers, so
there was never any question of
their riding him back. And since,
with the witching hour, Scotty’s
legs aiwaj'd tauic uuovuvn, uv
had to manage transportation,
somehow. What to do?
Simple. Go to the nearby
French Market, strike up a
friendship with some unsuspect
ing, wagon-driving farmer, drink
him drunk, toss him in the back
of his own wagon and — voila!
There was transportation for the
evening.
That was Scotty’s original, in
genuous, and unfailing method
of getting back aboard after an
evening on the town. That is
what he did this night and that
is how it was I who answered his
plea to sign on. That wasn’t the
reason I agreed to go with him,
it was the bottle he waved, that
was the reason.
Scotty, I learned, has just
brought his ship from the Mo
bile boneyard and since the crew
that had ridden her over had
come on a one-way ticket, once
they got her docked they had
taken the cushions back to Mo
bile. And Scotty was left alone,
doubling in brass, Watchman
Chief Engineer, Some Watch
man. Some Engineer.
It is about four miles, as I
remember, from the Institute to
where Scotty’s old 12-knot tub
of-rust was moored and those
four miles took some time to
navigate; me, Scotty, the straw
hatted horse, the dead-to-the
world farmer, and the bottle.
But we made it. ;
I voted to head for the fore
castle and the bunk, but Scotty
felt duty bound, first, to see how
his fires were doing.
^e fires were doing pretty
good, as it turned out Only trou
ble, the water in the boilers had
all turned to steam — Scotty
had been gone for hours, too
magjr hours — and she was
about to blow.
would have stood by
M am confident; be
...
ng within a pound
of being blown to bits,
o fus shut her down,
off
I JOHN J SYNONM
Scotty told me a million times,
once we got the cobwebs clear
ed. . « t |
But, you know, Scotty was an
ingrate.
1 found that out on the way to
Tampa. I was off duty at the
time, “riding the rail”, dream
ing, watching the spindrift and
the porpoises at play.
Porpoises are graceful things,
and I got to wondering what
their leader would do if I crack
ed him with a one-inch nut; 1
wondered if I could break his
bobbing rhythm. There was a
two-pound coffee-can full of
such nuts, I knew, just inside the
porthole at my elbow. So, I
found but.
I suppose my bull’s eyes had
made that dolphin rear a dozen
times — I had a good arm, once
— and was having the time of
my life cracking him when I
spied the Chief Engineer, there
on the bridge, behind me.
“Very good,” he said, “throw
’em all; I’m counting; they’re'
costing you fourteen cents
apiece”.
What an ingrate.
I quit when we got to Tampa.
But who would believe a story
like that.
December 15 Deadline for Coast
Guard Cadet Applications
Eligible young men are re
minded that Dec. 15, 1966 is
the. deadline for submitting ap
plications to compete for ap
pointment as a Coast Guard Ca
det.
The 91st annual competition
for admission to the Coast Guard
Academy at New London, Conn.,
will begin with the Dec. 3, 1966
administration of the College
Entrance Examination Board
Tests. Appointments are made
solely on a competitive basis,
with no Congressional appoint
ments or geographical quotas.
Application deadline for the
tests is Nov. 1, 1966.
An applicant must be an un
married high school senior or
graduate who has reached his
17th but not his 22nd birthday
by July 1,1967. Applicants must
have earned 15 units by June 30,
1967, including the following
units: Three in English, two in
algebra, and one in plane geome
try. Applicants must be in ex
cellent physical condition, be
tween 64 and 78 inches in
height, with proportionate
weight, and have at least 20/30
in each eye, correctable to
20/20.
Additional information and
application forms can be obtain
ed from high school guidance
counselors or by writing to the
Director of Admissions, Coast
Guard Academy, New London,
Conn., 06320.
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